VOA流行美語 Unit 184:rattle on和third degree
Larry和李華正在商量要去看哪部電影。李華想看一部新的法國片，但是Larry卻想看別的電影。今天李華會學到兩個常用語：rattle on和third degree。
LH: Larry，我真的很想看那部法國電影嘛!
LL: I'm sorry, Li Hua, but I don't like French movies. The characters always rattle on and on about philosophy and nothing interesting ever happens.
LH: 你說法國電影怎麼啦？Rattle on那是什麼意思？
LL: To rattle on about something means to talk about it for a long time without really saying anything interesting or important.
LH: To rattle on就是嘮叨個沒完沒了，可是又沒說出什麼有意思的，或重要的事。你說法國電影都在滔滔不絕地談哲學，纔不是這樣呢！我之所以喜歡法國電影就是因爲他們探討的都是很重要的議題，而且也不是象你說的rattle on and on.
LL: I think they do.
LH: 那你喜歡看英國電影嗎？我知道最近在上演一部新的英國片。
LL: Sorry, but I think British movies are the same as French movies. The characters rattle on about fashion, manners, and society and don't really do anything.
LH: 什麼！你覺得英國片也經常誇誇其談地說時裝、禮貌、社會風尚，可是卻沒有什麼行動？嗨，那你是不是隻愛看武打片？
LL: No, but I do prefer a movie in which people act on their beliefs rather than just rattling on about them.
LH: 你喜歡電影裏的角色要爲自己的信仰努力，而不喜歡它們嘮嘮叨叨的空談。那我同意！那你到底想看哪一部電影嘛？
LL: I wasn't rattling on. I was just expressing my opinion. How about this movie about the American Revolution? Is that okay with you?
LH: 那部有關美國革命的電影啊？可以啊，不過我希望電影裏的人不要滔滔不絕地講愛國主義，該不會都rattle on and on吧？
LL: Maybe a little, but there should be a lot of action, too.
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LH: Larry，你跑哪裏去了，怎麼這麼晚纔來嘛！我買好電影票在這裏等你等了20分鐘了！
LL: Hey, don't give me the third degree! I'm a little late because my mom called, that's all.
LH: 原來是你媽媽打電話給你。對了，你又說我什麼啦，我給你third degree?那是什麼意思？
LL: To give someone the third degree means to question that person aggressively in order to get him/her to confess to something.
LH: To give someone the third degree就是盤問某人的意思。我可沒有盤問你的意思。我只是等你等了很久，都快發火了嘛！
LL: Sorry. I didn't expect my mom to call. My mom gave me the third degree, too. She wanted to know why I haven't called her in such a long time.
LH: 你媽也質問你爲什麼這麼久沒打電話回家。那你是怎麼跟她說的？
LL: I just told her that I've been really busy. The truth is that I avoid calling her, because every time I do call her, she gives me the third degree about something.
LH: 你也別這樣，我想你媽不是真的在罵你，或生你的氣；她只是很關心你，很擔心你嘛！
LL: You're probably right, but sometimes she asks so many questions that it really feels like I'm getting the third degree.
LH: 如果你怕你媽問東問西的，也許你應該經常打電話給她。這樣她就不會這麼操心，也不會老是追問你一堆問題嘍！Then she won't give you the third degree.
LL: You know, Li Hua, that's a good idea!
今天李華學到兩個常用語。第一個是rattle on，這是形容嘮嘮叨叨，講一些無關緊要的事情。另外一個常用語是third degree，這是有質問，盤問的意思。
